The End's Intent

Chapter 5

It only took a week, but by Friday evening, Hermione felt like she had perfected the spelled DA flyer. She'd been correct to assume McGonagall would discreetly help and after visiting her just once in her office after classes, she'd been able to figure out the best way for creating a concealment spell.

Later, she left a couple of flyers in McGonagall's office and asked if she'd appreciated the art she had left for her. When McGonagall had no idea what Hermione was talking about and insisted nothing had been left in her office, Hermione knew she'd been successful. Just to be safe, she added a repellant charm that would send anyone with the Dark Mark in the other direction. It was a heavily guarded parchment, but Hermione wasn't going to risk anything.

Saturday morning, Hermione left the heads' dormitory well before sunrise and posted the flyer in the court yard between the castle and the green houses.

Even though she'd done it many times already, she attempted to trace all the spells on the parchment. Just as she'd charmed the parchment to, it revealed no magic or spells and she grinned. She left a quill hovering beside it then hurried back to the dorm before anyone else woke up.

Hermione couldn't fall back asleep once she'd returned to her room, so she pulled out a book McGonagall had loaned her and got comfortable on the couch in the common room. When the sun finally came up and she knew breakfast was starting, she went back up to her room to put away her book and change.

Ginny and Luna were sitting at the Ravenclaw table when she arrived in the Great Hall. Deciding to join them, Hermione made her way to the Ravenclaw table and sat with her back to the mostly empty Slytherin table.

"Good morning, Hermione," Luna greeted happily. Ginny smiled at her and took a large bite of her cinnamon bun.

"Hello," Hermione replied. She filled her plate with fruit and a cinnamon bun then grabbed a glass of orange juice. "I've figured out a way to charm the DA flyer."

Ginny looked up so quickly it almost looked like she'd given herself whiplash. Luna just smiled beside Ginny and nodded.

"I knew you could," she said dreamily. "Where is it? I didn't see it on my way here."

"It's in the courtyard," Hermione answered. That way, students would see it passing by and teachers wouldn't notice any abnormal clustering in the halls. "I won't bore you with all the spells, but it's secure."

Ginny struggled to swallow her bite of food so she could ask, "When will you hold the first meeting?"

"You have to sign your name to see it, but next weekend on top of the astronomy tower," Hermione said. It would just be a time to tell new students what the DA was for and how they would communicate. Hermione had already started charming more coins like they had previously used to accommodate anyone who had lost theirs or were new. "I don't think Rosmerta's can fit everyone and I don't want to start a rucus, so I thought the astronomy tower would be a good location."

"And if anyone asks, you can say it's just a study group," Ginny said.

Hermione nodded. She'd definitely thought of that when deciding on the location. With any luck, none of the professors would find them. Anyone who tried to tell a professor would find themselves suddenly forgetting everything about the DA as well as incapable of speaking about it.

"I'm planning on putting wards around the tower beforehand, but the parchment has enough charms that it should be okay," Hermione replied. Before they could continue talking about it, a loud group of Slytherins sat at the table behind her and they were forced to change topics.

Hermione spent the day with Ginny and Luna in the Gryffindor common room. A few of the younger students came up throughout the day to ask about the DA and Hermione directed them to check the court yard if they were interested in returning. By the time she left the Gryffindor tower, many Gryffindors had excitedly left the tower and returned to smile at her. Neville seemed to be one of the most excited, but he managed to keep himself from talking about it too loud which Hermione was grateful for.

"I have patrol tonight," Hermione said when Ginny asked why she was leaving. She and Draco were scheduled to patrol on every other Saturday night and every Tuesday night. As they'd had last weekend off, it was their turn to patrol the halls.

A chorus of bye's echoed through the common room as she slipped through the portrait and hurried back to the heads' dormitory to meet Draco. He was pulling on a cloak as she walked in and had hers hanging off the back of the sofa.

"I thought I'd have to meet you in the halls," he said, handing over her cloak. Hermione fastened it under her chin and smiled.

"Time got away from me, I'm afraid," she replied. She followed him out of their shared dormitory and began their patrol route.

As they walked, they talked quietly with each other about the classes they didn't share and the recent reports in the Daily Prophet. Death Eaters had attacked a family in Northumberland and hadn't left any of them alive. While Hermione knew Draco hadn't been involved the night of the attack, she couldn't help but worry he'd known about it beforehand. When she hesitantly asked, Draco shook his head.

"I'm not regularly updated on attacks until after they happen," he told her. As it was, it had been a few new Death Eaters that had been tasked with the murders to prove their allegiance. Draco fell silent after tell her so.

They silently walked out of the castle and into the court yard, lighting their wands to see better in the darkness. Hermione's eyes drifted over to where the DA flyer was hanging just as Draco paused and looked around in confusion.

"I think I left my cloak in the dorm," he said uncertainly. Hermione frowned and gestured to the cloak he was wearing. He frowned down at it. "Oh," he said, starting back up again. They got closer to the flyer and Draco paused again. "Are you sure we need to check outside the court yard? I swear we already did."

"No," Hermione said, sighing under her breath. "We haven't." Glancing at the flyer across the walkway, she said, "You go ahead though and I'll catch up in a bit."

Draco gave her a strange look but hurried out of the court yard. As soon as he'd left her side, Hermione darted over to the poster and stared at it. She'd forgotten Draco had the dark mark when she'd cast the repellent and confundus spells. They'd been adjusted to target only certified Death Eaters and seeing as Draco had the dark mark, clearly they were working.

She didn't want to move the flyer further back and risk people not seeing it, but she couldn't let Draco get confused everytime he walked by it.

With the unbreakable sticking charm, she couldn't easily remove it. As she'd been the one to cast it, she could perform the counter spells, but that would take more time than she had at the moment. She groaned before removing the spell that targeted dark marks and hurried off after Draco. Hopefully the rest of the protection spells would be enough to protect the students signing up.